TheStreet: 3 Must-Watch Economic Indicators for the Summer

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Not all economic indicators or market metrics are created equal. What counts changes with time and place. Here's what matters this summer:

Outside on the Street: What is the Recency Effect?

By SIMON CONSTABLE



What Is the Recency Effect? from Simon Constable on Vimeo.

Outside On the Street: What You Need to Know Before Adopting a Pet

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Joey Texiera and his dog Mervin the Chihuahua join me to discuss.

What You Need to Know Before Adopting a Pet from Simon Constable on Vimeo.

TheStreet: Why Trading Oil Became So Sticky

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Trading oil has always been a tricky business, but a decade ago, things changed to make it downright perilous. 

It wasn't that it became more volatile -- the crude market has always been choppy. Rather, the returns from investing in futures became disconnected with the real market. Here's the detail of what happened and how you can avoid the pitfalls.

The energy market became increasingly oversupplied, which in turn led to an unfavorable flip in how the futures markets for the energy perform. Read more here.

U.S. News: Yes, Risky Investments Have a Place in a Portfolio

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Many people will tell you to stay away from risky investments. But if you follow that advice, there is a chance that you might throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Think of risky investments like you think about salt: Too much could eventually kill you, but too little can be bad in other ways.

The same is true for assets like gold, industrial metals, grains, or even art. A little can be a good thing. Go overboard with it and you'll probably go bust.

Read more here.

Outside on the Street: Buy Amazon For The Firm You Don’t Know

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Bullseye Brief's founder Adam Johnson explains what is still special about the iconic online retailer.


Buy Amazon For The Firm You Don't Know from Simon Constable on Vimeo.

Forbes: How My ObamaCare Coverage Is Almost Worse Than No Coverage

By SIMON CONSTABLE

For many people, like me, ObamaCare has become like a flat fee tax.

Let me explain how.

It’s an amount that must be paid each month. Failure to do so will result in a fine from the government.

It’s not a flat rate tax, which is meant to be the same percentage tax rate but which is still dependent on income. A ten percent tax on a  $40,000 annual income is $4,000. But a 10% tax on $250,000 is $25,000. Same percentage rate but a different amount. It is neither a regressive or progressive tax.

Beyond a certain income level, which is relatively low, the net amount charged for ObamaCare coverage doesn’t change. Anyone with the same plan as I have (and who doesn’t receive a government subsidy) pays the same flat fee each month regardless of their income. Read more here.